Scene #3958:

Owner	Pose
Linne	Kawakami City is beautiful. The sounds, the smells, the liveliness of the people! It all sets Linne to pure relaxation, a rare thing for ever since she lost her Mistress. The maid cane-taps down the sidewalk, near the water as she hums a tune. She takes her time, enjoying the sunlight and atmosphere. She certainly catches a look or two: definitely too old to be one of the strange maids from the local Academy. Perhaps some odd foreigner? Every now and then, she stops to curtsey to a citizen or two that gets close to greet her. It all goes very well! Up until a group of about five distinctly delinquent-like teenagers start to follow behind the leisurely maid! One or two have bats, and horrible grins! Trouble could well be brewing!
Kazuko Kawakami	Another day, another round of running throughout Kawakami City! Sure, it's a little late in the day to be running around the way Kazuko is, what with her tire dragging along the ground behind her and making all sorts of rubber-on-ground noises, but it's the price to pay for keeping her body in tip-top shape! Not that it seems to have been helping her much lately. Although her body's doing the work just fine, it feels like she's sort of just... Going through the motions. Run a mile this way, run two miles that way, cross the bridge, hide from Hideo in his rickshaw while Azumi taps a cane against... Wait. That's not right. Since when did the ninja maid use a cane? And dye her hair? And grow it out? Unless... No, that's not Azumi at all! Blinking slowly at Linne as they draw closer, she spots those delinquents standing not far behind the maid. Judging from the fact that she's a maid, though, Kazuko doesn't intervene yet. Instead, she just pulls her tire up against her back by the rope. She's waiting nd watching Linne for now, not ready to step in yet since if what she's seen from the other maids are any indication, then... This one should be okay.
Linne	The group don't seem to notice the highschooler running with that tire! No, they're too busy messing with the maid. Soon, she's surrounded. The woman smiles, pauses, and leans on her cane. "Oh. It seems I am popular today. Good evening to you, gentlemen. May I serve you somehow?" Comes the cultured voice of the woman, even as she curtseys to the thugs! One of the thugs, with a bat, walks up with a lecherous grin. "Yeah! How about ya go out with us, lady? Can have some /real/ fun! Not with that idiot back at the school!" She frowns slightly. "I am afraid I do not know to whom you are referring, Sir. I am not from this town. Nor will I be dating a plebian like yourself." The man scowls! "Wha!? I'll show you, you little bitch!" He raises the bat! And the woman raises her hand. Kazuko would see a black-iron hand reaching out from within, and touch that bat. It crumbles instantly to rust. "Hmph. Brute." Then, she spins, and her skirts slash amongst the ruffians. Cloth turns to metal, and when she's done, the group is in a pile, or haulin their friends away bleeding. Not a single drop of their blood hits her. She sighs. "My! I do hope the other people of this town are not so brutish. Hmm?" She turns. "Hello? Is someone else out there?"
Kazuko Kawakami	That ended much faster than Kazuko was expecting. And yet, not at all like she was expecting. So many questions left unanswered, and even more raised! The martial artist blinks slowly before waving lightly in response to Linne's query, a impressed grin forming on her face and evident in her voice. "Hi! Yeah, I'm.. In front of you." Stepping over one of the injured (or at least she hopes is just injured) teenagers, Kazuko leans over to peer at Linne's skirt curiously. "How'd you do that before? with the cutting and stuff? Do you have... Like. Little razors hidden in there or something?" Never mind the fact that it looks like the girl in bloomers is trying to look up the maid's skirt. It's perfectly innocent, really! "And that thing with the bat. Do you have some kind of super-touch metal destroying technique or something?" She's certainly got Kazuko's mind off her funk, at least!
Linne	The woman smiles, and offers the girl a curtsey as well! Linne neats her hair and straightens her clothes. A proper servant must be neat at at all times, after all! Luckily, all of the men seem to be alive. All minor cuts, but very, very painful ones. Deft, this maid! She doesn't stop Kazuko! Mostly because she doesn't realize there's skirt-looking! No razers. Just lots of petticoats and leggings! "How? Very simple, my dear." She pulls out a handkerchief, and concentrates. It slowly turns to silvery steel, and she hands over the now sharp metal. "Careful, dear. I was born with a certain ability. As for how? Well...a lady cannot spill all of her secrets before I even know the name of the wonderful young lady that I am speaking to." Smile! Slightly firm, motherly look! "My name is Linne, servant of the Tres Household of England. Care to join me? I need a walk, and a local to find a nice cafe would be wonderful. My treat." Smile!
Kazuko Kawakami	No knives, no razors, nothing hidden in that skirt... What could her secret be? Kazuko finds out soon enough when Linne turns that piece of cloth to steel, taking it carefully and letting out an awed "ooh" as she looks it over. "Whoa... Cool! Then that means..." What /does/ that mean? The martial artist hasn't heard of anyone having this sort of power, although there was that one guy from England with the hat... Probably just a coincidence. That motherly look actually gets Kazuko to straighten up a bit, and she dips into a practiced bow towards Linne. "Ooh! My name's Kazuko Kawakami, student of the Kawakami Style martial arts. It's good to meet you!" Her eyes light up at the mention of being a guide, and she approaches Linne while still holding that steel handkerchief safely away from both of them. "Aah... Sure! I know this one place with really good milk tea, and they even have ramen challenges if you're really hungry. Oh, but the ice cream's really good, too..." So excitable.
Linne	Linne gives a little chuckle. "You are /adorable/." Comes the amused maid, as Kazuko ooh's and awes! She smiles the entire time, leaning on her cane gently. The sound of a bow, however, has her little chide evaporate. "There we are, just like a proper young lady. It is entirely my pleasure, Miss Kawakami. If I may?" Letting the girl keep the handkerchief, she'll take a free arm to let the excitable martial artist lead the way! "That sounds lovely. I would be overjoyed to sample the local tea. Oh? You are a martial artist? Is this your family trade, then? Mmm..." She discretely squeezes a wanko arm! "You /do/ seem a solid girl for your age. Have you been practicing long?" Chats up the maid, walking gracefully with Kazuko! She seems to be trying to sweep her up into almost dance-like movements!
Kazuko Kawakami	"Eh? Oh, just Kazuko's fine. 'Miss Kawakami's' too fancy for me, anyway." Kazuko replies with a light giggle, then puffs up a bit before leading the way like a good seeing-eye dog! Avoiding large groups, halting at stop lights, not letting herself get (too) distracted by the random passerby greeting her. "Yeah, I'm studying the Kawakami Style at the Kawakami Temple." So Kawa. So Kami. "Our style's the strongest in this world, but there's still a whole lot of stuff I've never seen before from other worlds. Like.. That thing you did before!" She flexes just a bit at that arm squeeze. Strong for a martial artist, but definitely not at body-builder levels or even those with naturally strong muscles. She's certainly got the grace to match Linne, though, moving with a light step and apparently enjoying even that! So easily amused. "I've been training and learning for a long time now." She mouths some numbers, sounding a little confused at first. Numbers are hard! "I... Was training to be an assistant instructor, too, but I can still keep training even if that's not gonna work." She's trying to sound chipper at that last part, and it certainly sounds like she's trying!
Linne	The woman tilts her head, but doesn't say anything at first. No, Kazuko is far more polite than most commoners, and so she'll take what she can. Best not to be too hard on the girl! She wouldn't know better, after all. Being led so well certainly pleases Linne! She even stops at one light, and spins the girl, a small ball dance to amuse both Wanko /and/ a few passers by. "A Lady with grace and style may captivate any they desire." Whispers Linne to Kazuko with a wink. Advice time! "'The strongest', hmm? I should like to see you fight then. Perhaps even test you myself. You carry yourself strongly. Your training seems to have borne fruit." But the maid can't miss that note in Kazuko's voice. "'Not going to work'? I do not wish to pry, but is there some reason you are disqualified from the position?" Curiousity lurks in her voice.
Kazuko Kawakami	Being a fancy lady /would/ be kinda fun..." Kazuko comments after that little dance at the light, keeping up through sheer agility rather than any real technique! Maybe with the right training, one day... "Your style's really cool, too. I mean, I don't get how it works or anything, but that's how a lot of things in the Multiverse have been." Another laugh, then a quieter chuckle at the mention of her training bearing fruit. It's a bit of an awkward one, especially when Linne asks about the position. "Eh? O-oh.. Um. Well..." She heistates for a moment. Would it matter if she let her a stranger know about it at this point? A new friend, sure, but... Well, it couldn't hurt too much. "Aah... W-well, my sister's the strongest person in our temple that isn't grandpa, right? So she gave me a test to see if I could ever become an assistant master and I... Failed it." Kazuko's still straining to keep her voice upbeat, but at least she's managing it! Sort of. "B-but that's in the past now, so it's fine. Aah.. . I think we're getting close to that cafe now!"
Linne	Now /that/ gets a smile! "And if you ever require a tutor, I would be pleased." Pause. Kazuko can move like a lady, but... Ahem. "It may require time and dedication, however." Hmph. "It is...very rare on my world. And has no formal schools such as your own. I have improvised, but it serves me well enough in my duties." Then she gets the picture. Linne frowns, and slowly nods. She goes silent, but decides to not press the matter. "There are flowers that bloom in spring, and others, in fall." She simply states! Ah, but there's the cafe! "Find us an outdoor seat, if you please. Now tell me more about your sister." Best to get her mind off her troubles. Linne even orders dessert for Kazuko!
Kazuko Kawakami	"A tutor? Ooh... Time and dedicaiton aren't problems for me! But that'd be kinda expensive, wouldn't it? And I don't know what I'd be able to do with it..." It's certainly not a rejection! Not that Kazuko could ever see herself mingling with high class socialites, but still. The mention of Linne's combat style draws another awed noise from the young martial artist, especially when she mentions improvisation. "Whoa... Uhh. Your duties are being a maid, right? Do you know anyone called Azumi, then?" It's a long shot, but all maids must know each other! Or so she assumes. Kazuko does look rather grateful that Linne doesn't press the topic further, although she does seem rather confused by the flower talk. It doesn't keep her too occupied, however, as her attention is soon shifted towards the cafe. Luckily for them, there just so happens to be a free table under an awning to keep covered from the sun! "My sister? her name's Momoyo. She's gonna become the master at the temple one day once grandpa retires. She's /super/ strong. All sorts of people from Europe and Canada come to challenge her, even!" Kazuko beams with pride as she speaks of her sister, although there's always that lingering undercurrent of something... Regretful, perhaps?
Linne	Linne smiles. "Very expensive. The Tres family is the most notable of all noble houses in England, and to learn how to serve and protect one's Master is a long and involved process. It is more than knowing how to make tea. It is having tea ready for your Master before they know they wanted any." She tries to imagine Kazuko amidst high society. There's a smirk. It'd be like having a very excitable puppy amongst them. Mental note, tap Kazuko for cute duties. "Azumi...Azumi...No, I am afraid I have not met Lady Azumi. Our contacts in Japan are...limited. Is she a proper Lady as well?" Curiousit is certainly piqued! The woman's eyes narrow thoughtfully. "She must be very disciplined. You seem as though you admire her very much." Her voice softens. There's sympathy there, as she slowly puts the pieces together. "...Though as someone who has seen sisters blossom together, do not cling overmuch to her. Admire her, respect her as your elder, but know that you have your own path to forge. Perhaps finding that path will allow you to seize your desires."